Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-13
New York Mall and Express.

New York Mail and Express
Adelina Patti is forty-four years old,
but her voice is only twenty-five years of
age. That is to say, it is still as fresh,
suave and facile as if she were only in
her twentY-ffth year instead of in her
forty ffth. How has she preserved the
marvellous voice with which heaven
blessed her and through the thousands
who have heard her sing? Is the en-
during freshness of this voice due to some
quality inherent in it or to some secret
in this singers art of vocalization? To
neither. PATHS voice remains youth
full, though Patti advances
in years, because her whole
one special purpose of preserving as long
as possible her voice in all its beauty
Every detail in her daily routine is con-
sidered with this object in view. Many
social pleasures which others freely in
dulge in she abstains from, though they
would afford PLEASANT relief from the self
imposed monct0ny of her life, because
she realizes that it is the duty of one
upon whom heaven has bestowed great
talent not to waste that talent. There is
really touch of nobility in PATHS self
denial, in order that she may remain as
long as possible an
EXPONENT OF THE ART OF SONG.
Once, while l was converslng with
Patti, letter was handed to her. It
proved to be an invitation to dinner. She
was longing to accept 1t, but promptly
declined it.
'But," said, "you do not sing that
evening. nor even the NEXT -
"That makes no difference" was her
reply. az am very careful of my vol ice,
and during the eight months of the year
in which l sing 1 avoid all social excite
ments. In fact, during the four months
when am not singing, rest as much as
possible"
She then went on to say that even
during her four months residence at her
castle in Wales she abstained from social
excitements, and that her diet all the year
round was arranged of articles that were
nOurishing yet easily digested, as she
considered that the voice of q person
suffering with indigestion could not re-
main unimpaired. 81 don't know much
Latin" she said, "but know enough to
have adopted Vox sana in corpore sano
as my motto. consider physical health
| essential to the preservation of the voice.
Were l an invalid taking the waters,
ny regime could not be more carefully
ordered"
l noticed that she spoke in key lower
even than the ordinary conversational
tone, and asked if she did so parposely.
"Indeed I do. The days when am to
sing do not speak above whisper, and
ordinarily do not speak louder than l
am speaking to you now"
"Do you practice much now?"
81 sing my solreggios about half an
hour day. When 1 was learning new
parts 1 did so by singing them over to
myself quite softly.r
"What place do you consider your
homer"
children of the theater, like soldiers,
have no home. We go hither and thither.
had home only as child, and that
home was in New York"
"Were you fond of music even as a
child2"
eyes; as child took piano and sing
ing lessons; they varied with sewing
lessons. For my mother said voice was
uncertain-lt might be lost. So she
taught Csrlotta and myself how to sew,
and made US proficient in other hsndi-
work"
who was your first singing teacher"
"Barill, my stepbrother. It is a mis-
take to say that Strakosch was nay first
singing teacher. He came later to New
York. He taught me only Roslna in I'll
Barbiere'"
S'Does your fondness for the theater
date from your childhood ?"
81 was taken to the theater often-in-
deed whenever my mother sang. I used
to get so excited over the performances,
that could not sleep. When I thought
all my family asleep [ got up,
lit q night lamp in front of the
mirror, put on a scarlet coat of my
fathers and one of my mothers operatic
hats, and went through all the gestures
had caught from my mothers perform
anCe, humming over the melodies. Some
times I got through the whole opera and
applauded myself and threw crumpled
newspapers at myself for bouquets. Once,
unfortunately, I appleuded myself so
loudly that woke up Carlotta and I got
q scOlding."
"How old were you when you made
your first appearance?"
81 was seven yeas old, and the occa-
sion was concert at Tripler Hall. was
so small that was put on table near
the piano. I sang 'Una Voce' and 'Casta
Diva Imade success, and my parents,
who were In want, through the dishonesty
OF an operate manager made money. I
was really mere child, fifteen years old,
when made my debut in Lucia at the
Academy Of iusic on November "a, 1859.
Ullman had to be urged to allow me to
appear. He thought would not amount
to much. The performance was
the evening OF Thanksgiving Day.
Nine. Anna Bishop was advertised to sp-
pear at the matinee. Underneath, it
said: 'In the evening debut of Mdlle.
Adelina Patti in Lucia di Lammermoor,'
supported by Bragnoli aud Amodio."
How proud I was of that advertisement.
Next year sang in Boston, Philadelphia,
and other large cities of the United
States. In 1861 I went to Europe"
Nine. Patti also said that Elsa in "Loh-
engrin" she considered The most exquis- |
tie of all operate heroines, but that she |
did not dare to sing Wagner's music for